


Misstep

by Cameron_McKell



Series: Antivirus and Related Works [34]
Category: Tron (1982), Tron (Movies), Tron - All Media Types, Tron: Legacy (2010)
Genre: Abduction, First Meetings, Gen, Miscommunication, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-09
Updated: 2014-07-09
Packaged: 2018-02-08 04:21:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1926492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cameron_McKell/pseuds/Cameron_McKell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>None of it turned out how any of them expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Misstep

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Tron Fanworks Week Alan And Tronzler event on Tumblr.

“So, you finally got everything sorted out in there?”

 

“Define 'sorted out',” Sam replied from the computer table, and Alan was torn momentarily between chuckling and groaning.

 

“How bad is it?”

 

“You wound me, Alan,” Sam turned from the desk and grasped at his chest. “Right here.”

 

“Uh huh,” He 'agreed' with a roll of his eyes. A soft hum built up in the room as the laser powered up. “What did you need me for, anyway? Wouldn't Quorra be more helpful, since she lived there and all?”

 

“You mean other than as a second pair of eyes, to make sure I don't accidentally wreck the place?” Sam scoffed quietly, then moved to join Alan in the laser's firing path. “A lot of the code in there is about twenty years older than the stuff I'm familiar with; Yeah, I can do all right and all, but you were one of the best.”

 

Alan gave him a look.

 

“Are. Are, one of the best,” Sam amended with an amused huff; it turned into a real chuckle when Alan pantomimed picking lint off his jacket.

 

“And anyway,” Sam continued. “Q's got that practice test thing right now, remember? She's going to swing by afterward to make sure the 'door' didn't shut behind us.”

 

Alan opened his mouth to respond, but the laser had finally finished powering up, and he was suddenly catching himself on Sam's shoulder to keep from falling over.

 

Sam laughed at him.

 

Alan shoved him lightly. “Very funny.”

 

“I thought so,” Sam replied with a grin, then turned for the door. “Come on, let's go.”

 

Shaking his head and muttering about what he'd done in a past life to deserve this, Alan followed.

 

* * *

 

Alan couldn't help but stare.

 

“It's so...”

 

“Empty?” Sam finished for him with a sobering sigh. “Yeah. We've got our work cut out for us.”

 

Staring at the handful of lonely buildings left standing, Alan was suddenly reminded that whatever city had been here before, it'd taken almost thirty years of work to create.

 

“What was it like? Before.” Alan asked quietly, suddenly reluctant to disturb the... _stillness,_ around them. He couldn't decide if he was reminded more of a library, a chapel, or a grave; maybe it was all three.

 

“Busy,” replied a new but _shockingly_ familiar voice. A man – no, a _program_ – in a black bodysuit covered with small accents of blue-white light rappelled down from the roof of the arcade with a rope made of light, from the looks of it. As soon as he touched down on street-level with them, the rope of light just sort of... faded out, and his glossy black helmet folded away to show Alan the back of an awfully familiar head.

 

The program nodded in greeting to Sam, then turned to face Alan. It was almost – but not quite – like looking into a mirror from thirty years ago. Paler skin, darker hair – but then, he'd never seen the sun, had he? – same face, same eyes – though no glasses, which made sense – and a _very_ serious expression made up the face of a program that looked so much like Alan that they could have passed for relatives or siblings.

 

Or father and son.

 

“The peak number of active programs in this city was approximately 16,453,479, dependent on inbound and outbound traffic,” the doppelganger program continued, and Alan's mind boggled at the thought of a computer running that _many_ programs at once. “The most common buildings created were origin folders and directories, followed by energy allocation structures, datacenters, transport hubs and persistent vehicle storage, and gaming centers.” Whoever he was, though something about the lights – circuits? – on his suit tugged at Alan's memory, he hesitated for a moment, staring at Alan as if _searching_ for something. Whether he found it or not, eventually he looked away and continued. “There are fewer now, though a full check is still pending. It was beautiful.”

 

“That's why we're here, Tron,” Sam interjected, clapping him – that was _Tron_? – on the shoulder. “To fix the place back up.”

 

“Right,” Tron replied with a nod, then turned to address Alan without actually looking at him. “Welcome to the Grid, Alan-One.”

 

The longer Alan looked at Tron, the further Tron seemed to hunch in on himself to avoid the gaze. “Thanks for having me; it's nice to finally meet you.”

 

Something about what he said must have been wrong, because Tron turned away completely, and handed Sam a rod-shaped device. “You wanted to start with Gamma Sector.”

 

Sam gave Alan a sympathetic look as he responded in the affirmative, then offered Tron the chance to escape momentarily. “Why don't you go on ahead?”

 

The two Users both watched the sudden appearance of a personal aircraft, and the departure of Tron. As soon as he was a pinprick of light disappearing over the horizon, Alan looked helplessly at Sam. “What did I _say_?”

 

“It's a long story,” Sam replied, expression suddenly fierce. “But it's also not your fault. Really.”

 

Alan gave him a dubious look.

 

Sam deflated a little, then shook his head. “He'll come around.”

 

Alan thought on all the possible things he could learn about from his lost A.I. and deflated a little, too.

 

“I hope so.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> To clarify something that may not be immediately apparent, this story links with information given in: Attaching memory file time code Chapter 4: plus 150 cycles and Chapter 3: plus 0 cycles, In The Beginning, and Antivirus Chapter 7, as well as future works.


End file.
